s Bermuda International Invitational Race Week on Thursday, but the three remaining classes each have one more race to sail on Friday. J24, Etchells and IOD classes will decide winners Friday." playid="" -->

30 April 2004 11:18am

By Talbot Wilson

Five Classes Wrap Up Bacardi Race Week

Bermuda International Race Week

Five of eight classes wrapped up Bacardi's Bermuda International Invitational Race Week on Thursday, but the three remaining classes each have one more race to sail on Friday. J24, Etchells and IOD classes will decide winners Friday.

Adam BARBOZA and the Bermuda crew of Addiction took a first and fourth in the final two J105 races while Tom COTES' Masquerade came just behind with a second and a fifth. Barboza match raced Coates all day to protect his slim three-point victory. The two yachts had continued the competition that developed in Florida J105 Class racing this winter. Bermudian Glenn ASTWOOD was third and happy with the performance of his less experienced crew.

Bermuda sailors also won all the dinghy classes. Chuck MILLICAN and Drew BUTTNER(1-5-2-2-2-4-1-2-1-1) won the 505 class four points ahead of Marylander John HAUSER and Sol MARINI(5-1-1-4-4-3-2-1-2-2). Bret WRIGHT (1-1-2-6-1-1-1-1-1) had a commanding 24-point win in the 18-boat laser class over Maryland's Bob TAN. Steve DICKINSON and Ty TROTT (1-1-4-2) took the Comets over James PERRY and Janet DEBRAGA (6-2-2-3). In the Snipes, Malcolm and Julie SMITH (1-1-1-1) had a perfect regatta and led Gordan FLEMING and Patty MALONEY (2-2-3-2-3) Canadian Gordon FLEMING by five points.

Bermudian Tim LYNCH got his Etchells going and with two bullets Thursday came within one point of class leader Peter DUNCAN from Rye NY got two more firsts and moved to a 5-point lead over. Duncan has scores of 1-5-1-1-1-2-4 and Lynch has 2-4-2-4-2-1-1. Tim PATTON (4-2-7-2-5-3-3) celebrated the big "50" by moving into third with two thirds for the day. For Duncan and Lynch it all comes down to one big race on Friday.

Three points separate the top three in the J24 Class Bermudian Jon Corless (3-2-5-7-1-1-2-1) moved into a one-point lead. Stuart JARDINE, Hampshire UK (4-1-4-2-2-2-6-2) slipped one point behind into second while Mike LEWIS (2-3-1-5-4-3) is one point further back in third. Each has one throw-out race so Friday is the test.

In the IOD Class, Marblehead sailor Bill Widnall came second to Bermudian Jordy Walker's first on Thursday morning. In the second race, Widnall pulled away from the fleet for a cool first and walker fell to 6th. In the four-race 'B' series, which has no drops, Widnall leads Walker by one point and Walker leads Kevin Farrar by one as well.

That series will be decided Friday. Widnall won the five-race 'A' series leads in the overall nine-race IOD series for the Vrengen Gold Cup by eight points. Farrar and Walker are two points apart for second and third.

Results and photos of the 2004 Bermuda International Invitational Race Week sponsored by Bacardi are on the event website at the address below.